Robert Clark (Australian Politician)
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Robert William Clark (born 11 March 1957) is a former Australian politician. He was a
Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...
member of the
Victorian Legislative Assembly The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria in Australia; the upper house being the Victorian Legislative Council. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The presiding ...
from 1988 to 2018, representing the electorates of
Balwyn Balwyn () is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 10 km east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Boroondara local government area. Balwyn recorded a population of 13,495 at the 2021 census. White ...
(1988–1992) and Box Hill (1992–2018). He served as
Attorney-General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...
and Minister for Finance in the
Baillieu Ministry The Baillieu Ministry was the 67th ministry of the Government of Victoria. It was a Liberal– National Coalition Government led by the Premier of Victoria, Ted Baillieu, and Deputy Premier, Peter Ryan. It succeeded the Brumby Ministry on 2 De ...
and
Napthine Ministry The Napthine Ministry was the 68th ministry of the Government of Victoria. It was a Liberal– National Coalition Government, led by the Premier of Victoria, Denis Napthine, and Deputy Premier, Peter Ryan. It succeeded the Baillieu Ministry ...
from 2010 to 2014, and also served as Minister for Industrial Relations under Napthine from 2013 to 2014. He had previously served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer (1992–1996) and Parliamentary Secretary for Treasury and Multimedia (1996–1999) during the Kennett government.


Early life

Having attended both St. Albans High School and University High School, Clark undertook his tertiary education at the
University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...
, obtaining his BCom (Hons) in 1980, an LLB in 1982 and a BA in 1986.


Student activism

Whilst at university, Clark became active in both the
Melbourne University Liberal Club Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metropol ...
and the
Australian Liberal Students' Federation The Australian Liberal Students' Federation (ALSF) is an Australian students' political organisation. Founded in 1948, the ALSF carries similar ideology to the Liberal Party of Australia. The Federation works closely with the Liberal Party, howe ...
, serving as the president (1979–81) and vice-president (1981–82) respectively of those organisations. While serving also as the treasurer of the Melbourne University Students' Representative Council (1976–77), Clark was responsible for legal proceedings brought against the university concerning the collection of the student service fee. The action challenged the right of the University Council to award such funds to the SRC, and the subsequent right of the SRC to allocate those funds to the
Australian Union of Students The Australian Union of Students (AUS), formerly National Union of Australian University Students (NUAUS), was a representative body and lobby group for Australian university and college of advanced education students. It collapsed in 1984 and ...
. In what was called the Kaye Judgement, the court ruled that the Student Service Fee was not a fee for services provided but was essentially a tax or charge. It was further ruled that the University of Melbourne was a "public authority exercising legislative powers", in that the university was unduly exercising a power in the absence of legislative approval from Parliament. Clark's instrumental role in these actions resulted in significant changes to the law relating to student unionism in Victoria.


Entry into politics

Clark joined the
Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...
in 1976. He was an executive member of the Victorian Young Liberal Movement in 1986 and was vice-chairman of the Deakin Electorate Committee from 1986 to 1988. He has also been a member of the Party's Constitutional Committee since 1987.


Member of Victorian State Parliament

After working as a solicitor practicing in commercial, financial and labour law from 1983 to 1988, Clark was elected to the
Victorian Legislative Assembly The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria in Australia; the upper house being the Victorian Legislative Council. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The presiding ...
seat of
Balwyn Balwyn () is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 10 km east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Boroondara local government area. Balwyn recorded a population of 13,495 at the 2021 census. White ...
on 1 October 1988. Following the division of electorate boundaries in 1991, Clark successfully sought re-election in the seat of Box Hill and subsequently assumed the role of Parliamentary Secretary to the Victorian Treasurer,
Alan Stockdale Alan Robert Stockdale (born 21 April 1945) is the former President of the Liberal Party of Australia and a former Victorian state Deputy Liberal leader. He was Treasurer of Victoria in the government of Jeff Kennett from 1992 to 1999. Early ...
, in 1992. From 1992 to 1999 he convened the Parliamentary Coalition's Treasury and Finance Committee. He was a member of the Coalition's Attorney-General's Committee 1992–1999, Education Committee 1992–1996, Tertiary Education Committee 1996–1999 and Multimedia Committee 1996–1999. Following the 1996 Victorian state election, Clark was appointed as Parliamentary Secretary, Treasury and Multimedia, a position he held until the Coalition lost Government in October 1999. From October 1999 until September 2001, Clark was Shadow Minister for Planning (including Major Projects) and Shadow Minister for WorkCover, from September 2001 to August 2002 was Shadow Treasurer, Shadow Minister for Finance and Shadow Minister for WorkCover and from August 2002 to November 2002 was Shadow Minister for Finance, Shadow Assistant Treasurer, Shadow Minister for WorkCover and Shadow Minister for Gaming. In November 2002, Clark assumed the post of Shadow Treasurer and held the position until December 2006. In December 2006, Clark was appointed as Shadow Attorney General, Shadow Minister for Industrial Relations, Shadow Minister for Information and Communication Technology and Shadow Minister for Energy and Resources. Following the Coalition's win at the 2010 state election, Clark was appointed
Attorney-General of Victoria The Attorney-General of Victoria, in formal contexts also Attorney-General or Attorney General for Victoria, is a minister in the Government of Victoria, Australia. The Attorney-General is a senior minister in the state government and the Firs ...
on 2 December 2010. After the defeat of the Coalition at the 2014 state election, Clark unsuccessfully contested the deputy leadership of the Liberal Party. Clark lost his seat in the 2018 election, suffering a nearly 8-point swing against him. Clark had held the seat or its predecessor for three decades. Shortly after his defeat, the Victorian branch of the Liberal Party elected him as its president, succeeding
Michael Kroger Michael Norman Kroger (born 30 May 1957) is a former Australian lawyer. He was president of the Victorian Liberal Party from 1987 to 1992 and from 2015 to 2018, and is considered a member of the conservative faction. Early life Kroger was educ ...
. Clark led a group of party moderates dedicated to stamping out religious right influences on the party and accused them of branch stacking. Former Victorian premier Jeff Kennett indicated that there were widespread internal issues within the Victorian Liberal Party under Clark's presidency. In response to Kennett's move against him, Clark's supporters attempted to talk up his standing in the party.


References


External links


Parliamentary voting record of Robert Clark at Victorian Parliament Tracker
  {{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, Robert 1957 births Living people Attorneys-General of Victoria Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Victoria Melbourne Law School alumni Politicians from Melbourne 21st-century Australian politicians People educated at University High School, Melbourne